HELP! OASIS NEED TO GET OUT OF BEATLES FIXATION

OASIS are so famous (or should that be infamous?) that they should be like Andy Williams or Isaac Hayes: beyond criticism.

Not quite.

They started out as one of the most famous indie/rock bands of the 20th century.

They belted out crowd-pleasers in a mock-Beatles style; Liam was the nasal pseudo-thug (almost) everyone loved; and they were indestructible.

Then the band hit on unstable times — infighting, enmity, line-up changes, marriages and births; and releasing turkeys such as ‘Standing on the Shoulder of Giants’ wasn’t exactly helpful.

However, their fifth studio album Heathen Chemistry gives them a reprieve from absolute admonition – but only if you’re an undiscerning rock fan who never tires of Oasis’ constant paean to the Beatles.

Chart-topping singles ‘The Hindu Times’ and ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ feature on the album, accompanied by the plodding glam rock-flavoured ‘Force Of Nature’ and the dubiously-titled ‘Hung In A Bad Place’.

In their favour though, ‘Little By Little’ is a grower, ‘Better Man’ a rocky, feel-good capsule of rock and ‘Songbird’ a cute two-minuter.

The thing is, it’s not like you didn’t see it coming — the album does exactly what it says on the tin.